與角色一同對戰： 臺灣寶可夢卡牌遊戲競技玩家社群的民族誌研究

Abstract

本碩士論文是一篇關於臺灣寶可夢卡牌遊戲競技社群玩家的遊戲實踐以及玩家如何透過寶可夢角色形塑自我與社會關係的民族誌。透過參與觀察卡牌遊戲社群活動，包括參加競技比賽、與玩家一起開卡包、討論卡牌能力與卡牌圖像等，本文嘗試回答解釋數位遊戲於電腦、手機等平台上隨手可得之際，玩家仍然選擇投入實體卡牌遊戲的原因為何？玩家與角色及卡牌之間的互動具備哪些特質，這些特質如何影響玩家之間的互動，並進一步形塑卡牌遊戲社群的實踐與認同？以遊戲社群為案例的民族誌能對當代遊戲、動畫與漫畫角色於人們的社會互動與關係所扮演的角色提出什麼樣的記述？ 在進行民族誌研究的過程中，我發現在進行寶可夢角色牌組的構築與對戰的過程中，玩家往往會逐漸發展出對特定角色的情感、羈絆，乃至於認同感。這些情感會促進玩家去想像並建構與角色共同存在的世界，玩家之間對於角色的共通情感常成為玩家之間進行互動、產生連結的重要媒介。相較於過往人類學對於遊戲的研究著重於遊戲作為商品、產業或虛擬世界的運作邏輯，本文關注遊戲角色所在的世界如何成為玩家展現想像力與創造力的重要空間，並特別關注玩家如何透過角色建構自我認同、理解他者，並在遊戲場域中產生新的社會關係與連結。

This master's thesis an ethnography about the game practices of players in Taiwan's Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) competitive community and how players shape their self-identity and social relationships through Pokémon characters. Through participant observation in TCG community activities, including attending competitions, opening TCG booster packs with players, and discussing effects and illustration of Pokémon cards, this thesis attempts to explain why players choose to engage in physical TCG when contemporary digital games are readily available on platforms such as computers and mobile phones. What are the characteristics of the interaction between players, cards, and characters, and how do these characteristics affect interactions between players, further shaping the practices and identities of the TCG community? What kind of account can this ethnographic study offer regarding the role played by contemporary game, anime, and manga characters in people's social interactions and relationships? In the process of conducting ethnographic fieldwork, I found that during deckbuilding and battling process of Pokémon character decks, players would gradually develop feelings, bonds, and even a sense of identification with specific characters. These feelings enable players to imagine and construct a world where they coexist with characters, and the common feelings towards certain characters among players often become an important medium for players to interact and form connections. Compared to previous anthropological research on games and characters, which focused on games as commodities, industry or the logic of virtual worlds, this thesis focuses on how the world where game characters reside becomes an important space for players to demonstrate imagination and creativity, and examines how players construct self-identity, understand others, and create social relationships and connections within the game space through characters.